21 protesters detained during final survey of Kurla Dairy land

Protesters raise banners during land survey

Nehru Nagar police detained 21 protesters who came out in numbers to halt the final survey of the Kurla Dairy land, on Thursday. The state government plans to use the Kurla Dairy land to rehabilitate families, displaced by the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

Nilesh Kamble, a Kurla resident, who was detained by the police said. "We are not opposing the project. But our demand is clear: Dharavi residents should get homes in Dharavi. We are demanding a botanical garden in place of the dairy. In June 2024, the state government approved the proposal to hand over the land to Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt. Ltd.

Police drag a protester. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

On Thursday, the state government's Department of Land Records conducted a survey to determine the land's boundaries. According to a letter from the department sent to adjoining landowners, the survey, held on Thursday, would finalise the boundaries of the plot. "After the land boundaries are finalised, the collector's office will submit the proposal to us," said an official from the Dharavi Redevelopment Authority.

Congress leader and MP Varsha Gaikwad joined the protest and supported the locals' demand for a botanical garden on the dairy land. "We were peacefully and democratically protesting against the government's decision. A massive police force was deployed to suppress the people's voices. Our peaceful protest was stopped," she said.

Another Kurla resident who participated in the protest said, "Our protest will continue. Our demand is clear: We need a botanical garden. Increased migration will burden the local infrastructure." Phone calls and text messages to Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt. Ltd, the contractors tasked with the rehabilitation project, went unanswered till press time.